The Castrum Caetani In Rome, Italy Editorial Photo

View of a hall of the Castrum Caetani today archeological museum located at the three mile marker of the Via Appia in Rome, Italy. The museum displays a collection of sarcophagi, tombstones, urns and sculptures found on the Appian Way. Between 1302 and 1303, the Caetani, or Gaetani, family aided by Pope Boniface VIII bought the land surrounding and including the Tomb of Caecilia Metella, and built a fortified camp, or castrum, next to the tomb replacing a preceding 11th century building. The castrum`s construction included the building of stables, houses, warehouses, the church of St. Nicholas, and the palace of the Caetani as well as adding the medieval battlements to the top of the tomb thus transforming the tomb into a defensive tower. According to Gerding, the monument was abandoned in 1485.